Sin, the alleged estrangement from God due to transgressing what is claimed to be God’s “known will,” is the age-old whip of faith system chieftains. The superstition that offending some god, directly or inadvertently, brings about disastrous consequences seemed plausible in the hostile conditions of primal forests or in the depths of gloomy caves. That trait, born of fear of the unknown, is cast into the DNA of animate life as a self-preserving attribute. That natural preservation trait, unfortunately, can be mined like a vein of gold by crafty schemers for their means of control.

By chapter three of Genesis, after the compressed account of Creation is dispensed with, the plot jumps rapidly into the introduction of sin with Eve nibbling fruit from the do-not-touch Tree of Knowledge. For this alleged sinful incident not only was Eve, Adam and the serpent given a death sentence, but all life forms were condemned to experience God’s endless indulgence in vengeance! Sin is then installed as a vicious circle in Genesis 4:7 with God allegedly saying to Adam and Eve’s son, Cain, “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.” Cain, not understanding the concept of “sin,”–perhaps because mom Eve had already tainted all life with “original sin”–by the very next verse (8) he kills his brother Abel. Now that is divine speed-plotting. But God’s earlier condemning judgment upon sin is then shown to be amendable in his setting a protective mark upon Cain’s head so he can avoid consequences. Thus did “sin” become the meal ticket for the CEOs of any western faith system.

The great pivotal moment in sacred “history,” according to 8th century BCE priest-authored accounts, hinges upon the Lord’s alleged call for Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering to receive special blessings. The Jews celebrate that alleged irrational incident of Abraham’s unquestioning obedience (Rosh Hashanah) as representative of their faith system’s especial characteristic–this despite the fact that in the Genesis timeframe Judaism was not yet an organized faith system. Was Isaac to be a sin offering? It is never said precisely why God would have asked for such a depraved act. Some suggest that it was a test of Abraham’s devotion, but if God is omniscient (all-knowing) as claimed, what could he possibly be uncertain about? As the story is depicted (by the priest authors), neither God nor Abraham inspire any spiritual admiration. And why would Isaac be such a spineless wimp? For some spiritual cowards, however, Isaac is held to be the first Jewish martyr (although Judaism was then far from its 8th century BCE invention as an organized faith system). Functionally, there can be only one purpose for this tale: since God, the personification of the Life Principle, would never condone such child abuse, the story purpose in the priest-written texts is aimed at encouraging submission and obedience to the priest-manufactured faith system.

In the later priest-written book of Leviticus (18:7), jammed between Exodus and Numbers, this priestly lust for ugly showmanship is highlighted in a shift-the-guilt rite–allegedly with God’s okay–from the guilty party to some hapless victim. The alleged God-approved instructions read, “And he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the door of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other for Azazel.” We should note here that the word “tent” was commonly used as an occult reference to the primordial energy planes out of which Creation is made manifest, which is why it is referred to as the “tent of meeting.” To retain their authority the arrogant priests indulged themselves in the slaughter of one goat on the Temple altar, and sent the other hapless goat out into the wilds to be torn apart by predators. Or, depending upon location, the other goat was hurled by priests from a cliff to be cruelly dashed upon the jagged rocks below. Supposedly Azazel was imprisoned beneath the mount.

Nowhere is it ever explained in Hebrew or Jewish myths why the “Lord”–a self-admitted jealous god–would ever sanction such a custom of equal offerings, for by presenting identical offerings it is openly admitted that Azazel was considered to be the equal to God. Consider also that the name Azazel is said to mean “God strengthens,” so the implication seems to be that one aspect of the creative Source, active as the Life Principle, cannot be honored without the other. What this tale inadvertently reveals is that the Source power cannot create and bring all things into existence except through an interactive process of positive/negative energy exchange and interaction.

Even in this twenty-first century of space flights and instantaneous communications around the planet there are still Orthodox Jews who practice the ancient bloody ritual of slaughtering hapless animal life (such as chickens) in an appeal to God for personal forgiveness. In Los Angeles, California, for example, there are Orthodox Jews seeking to save themselves from sin through such indulgence in animal abuse.

The Roman “fathers” and “saints” of Christianity (such as Paul, Jerome, Augustine, etc.) enthusiastically took up the sin entrapment tactic along with the submit-and-obey features of the faith by asserting how Jesus was sacrificed for the sins of the world. On that occasion, however, God did not see any reason to substitute a ram or goat (or whatever) for the spectacle. What is the reason for such spiritual injustice? Allegedly because God so loved the world that he would allow mankind to sidestep responsibility for its sins by letting his “only begotten son” be sacrificed!

Why should this alleged God-approved torture and homicide of his own “beloved” and “only begotten” son inspire the world with any spiritual love or trust? Such a concept hinges upon pre-Christian societies of the Near and Mid East in which no rite was seen to hold more august power than the sacrifice of the king or the king’s son for the redemption of the king’s people. That was impressed upon Roman awareness around 60 BCE when the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem, which was then weakened due to the power struggle between the two sons of King Aristobulus. Pompey installed one son, Hyreau, as high priest, and took the other brother, Antigonus (along with his sons), to Rome as displays of triumph. Eventually, however, it was Antigonus who became priest-king of Jerusalem and in his short reign before being taken by Marc Antony in 37 BCE he had slain his own two sons–presumably as sacrifice for the welfare of the people. The whole mystery ritual of redemption seemed to the Jews to be played out once again for them when Antigonus himself was scourged, then bound to the stake, and then beheaded. The Jews chose to see in this his sacrifice to redeem his people.

As noted, exploiting scapegoats, as promoted in Leviticus, was always subtly promoted in Hebrew Scriptures. Unfortunately, the only standard that such alleged godly allowance for subjecting a substitute for the guilty is that it encourages the faithful to always look for ways to sidestep responsibility for themselves. All they need do in either Judaism or Christian practice is pass the buck or find a scapegoat–then they will be free to ascend to Heaven on a comfortable mattress of lies. The rest of God’s creations can go to hell.

One of the numerous things that was given scant attention in scriptural tales which are accepted as “history” was the circumstances of planetary conditions during the timeframes in which the varied scriptural stories were cast. Turmoil occurring in the heavens, although often terrifying, was pretty much accepted for many generations as standard operating procedure. As a result much of mankind’s true history has been lost in the fog cast by superstitions and self-serving religious interpretations. So persuasive and deeply embedded are these versions that even dedicated researchers and scientists have been virtually muzzled by “sacred” traditions despite mounting evidence which has been unearthed and which show that traumatic events once took place in the heavens and caused havoc on our little planet. Man’s manufactured faith systems always claim authority, however, and must not be questioned by any discovered facts.

In the middle of the second millennium BCE, up to the beginning of the seventh century BCE, the heavens in the vicinity of Earth were in the process of being remodeled. That alteration somewhat reflects on a larger scale the dramatic changes that science has shown occurs in the microcosm–the atom. An atom is the smallest unit of an element and consists of a positively charged nucleus which is surrounded by a system of electrons—an appearance resembling a prototypal solar system.

Humans today, with the exception of some religious eccentrics, know that our ancestors on this planet date back for many thousands of years, and yet there is a surprising lack of in-depth world history. The little history that we do have available to us to draw upon extends back in time for only a little more than four thousand years, much of which is peculiarly vague and narrowly focused.

Curiosities abound throughout the “authorized” accounts of humankind’s history. Few, however, are as baffling as to why the celestial body we know as planet Venus suddenly became the object of worldwide attention around the general timeframe 1650-1600 BCE. In this timeframe the Babylonians were well-schooled in mathematics, calculations, algebra, and quadratic equations, and they had become increasingly nervous about disturbances taking place in the observable heavens. Astronomical records were being kept in the later reign of Ammizaduga (generally set at 1582-1562 BCE), and from these it is clear that astronomers were fully aware that the routine rotation of stars as seen from Earth were an illusion that was caused by Earth revolving on its own axis. The plotting of heavenly mechanics such as the equinoxes and solstices were routine to them.

So it was a situation of uneasiness to witness the looming presence in the sky of an unfamiliar celestial object—especially since its presence coincided with a slight alteration in Earth’s rotation and tilt. And there was also the disturbing matter of the volcanic mountain, Stroggili,on the Isle of Thera (Santorin) having erupted in the Mediterranean Sea (about 1645 BCE)–considered as one of the planet’s oversized volcanic eruptions. It was in this period that the unfamiliar celestial entity began to be addressed as a deity–a goddess of awesome beauty and terrifying power–an awe and fear that would possess the people of the entire world for many generations. Indeed, this period of frightening and dramatic celestial changes is attested to in later Roman literature, such as in the book Of The Race of the Roman People by Marcus Varro (116-27 BCE) In this book the author related that the planet known to them as Venus had once “…changed its color, size, form, course, which had not happened before nor since…” Varro backed up his account saying that renowned ancient astronomers affirmed that the event had indeed happened to the “Morning Star,” and it had never happened before or since. Varro also noted, “…we read from the divine books (meaning Hebrew scriptures) that even the sun itself stood still when a holy man Joshua, the son of Nun, had begged this from God.” Let us note here that even “saint” Augustine also quoted from this author’s book.

The timeframe in question here, c. 1600s BCE, is another period that has often been accepted as the period background of the Exodus story (but the true timeframe is more likely around 1496 BCE). The date most commonly given for the death of Moses is 1456 BCE, which supports this assessment. Geological evidence indicates that around this 1600 BCE timeframe that planet Earth entered into a strong magnetic field, which was also a period of heavy meteor showers around every part of our planet. It can be understood how recollections of various former chaotic events could be confused, condensed and intermingled by later amateur historians (who relied on revelation). There is, as an example, a Samaritan chronicle which relates that during the timeframe in which Joshua supposedly led an invasion into Canaan a new star was born in the east. If this star-birth event took place in the timeframe allotted to Joshua, then it predates the timeframe for Moses by generations. The Samaritan account of the new star said that it held power “against which all magic is vain.” That pretty much discredits the claim that Joshua had any influence over the heavenly adjustments that took place.

In connection with this there are the recent findings unearthed by archeologists that confirm that events of the Joshua story were in reference to celestial conditions and activities that took place earlier–much earlier–than events that make up the Moses epic. The later priest “historians” at work in 8th century BCE Jerusalem found it more beneficial to their purpose to patch together past events to provide themselves with a history that supported their claim as “chosen people.” There are other scriptural stories that also tell of turmoil in the heavens and that the continuing threats from the heavens went on for generations. As an example, in Job 9:5-7 (plagiarized from an older Babylonian source) it says, “Which removeth the mountains and they know not which overturned them in his anger. 6) Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. 7) Which commandeth the sun and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.” Etc. And in the book Haggai 2:6, God is quoted as saying, “Once more…I will shake the heavens.” It is thus accepted numerous times in “holy word” that the heavens had experienced turmoil.

Approximately fifty-two years after c 1600 BCE, or around 1548 (slightly previous to the timeframe of king Ammizaduga, 1582-1562 BCE), the celestial body that had so traumatized Earth seems to have emerged out of decades of clouded skies to appear as a radiant new member of the solar family. That is to say it had attained a fairly orderly orbital pattern among the neighboring planets. The Assyrians called the new planet Ishtar; the Greeks called it Aphrodite; the ancient Mexican records named it Quetazacohuatl; and the Romans would call it Venus.

The heavens were not yet peaceful, however, and Earth had more to endure, for the entrance of Venus into the planetary lineup had more than once disturbed the orbit of Mars. It was in this period of turmoil that Mars probably lost its atmosphere and water. The awe and fear that the bright new planet continued to still inspire in Earthlings is shown in it being addressed as a beautiful but fearsome celestial deity. Even some 750 years later, around 800 BCE, the involvement of the new planet with Mars still exerted strong influence upon planet Earth to the point that it triggered exogenous disturbances in Earth’s rotation. This is attested to by pottery that was cast in the 800 BCE timeframe and scientific analysis revealed that the material differed in magnetism from earlier pottery. This later timeframe just happens to be the time of the “prophet” Isaiah who had this to say about the adjustment of the new neighbor planet: “How art thou fallen from heaven O Lucifer (bright light of Venus), son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12-13)

Even as late as c. 606 BCE, the timeframe of the “prophet” Jeremiah, the inhabitants of Earth were still apprehensive over the orbital interactions of the planets Venus and Mars. The past Venus intrusion had caused troublesome effect on the orbit of the once peaceful and seldom noticed Mars. And despite the recent Babylonian invasion and destruction of Jerusalem (586 BCE), the Jews still gave Venus devotion as “queen of Heaven” and burned incense and offered wine to her on the roof of buildings. Jeremiah was an astronomer, and, like earlier astronomers, was portrayed as a “prophet” because he could chart the likely times of violent planetary interactions. Thus in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 44:17, the account says all the men knew that their wives had burnt incense unto other gods (meaning Venus). And the women adamantly continued to “…burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem…”

Reference to the heavens once having been in disarray can be found in many ancient records of other cultures. But even when they are a part of accounts deemed sacred, such as the biblical verses referred to here, there is a peculiar self-inflicted blindness that such planetary interactions could have in fact taken place. Even science, because of religious in-your-face “sacred history,” is forced to deny that such heavenly disturbances once disturbed Earth. But the heavens remain indifferent to mankind’s lack of curiosity. And Venus, the adopted “sister” in the solar family, continues in its orbital path and to rotate on its axis in an opposite direction than every other planet in our solar family.